There is the pocket, and then there is “the pocket!” Featuring spirited interpretations of two tracks that were originally waxed on earlier slabs and a third that would be re-cut on Herbie’s Mr. Hands the following year, this groovin’ 1979 Japan only direct-to-disc release, which clocks in at a fleeting 30:30 - features fierce interplay among Hancock, second keyboardist Webster Lewis, Bennie Maupin, Alphonse Mouzon, Ray Obiedo and legendary Headhunters’ bassist Paul Jackson. Every element of Jackson’s virtuosity – from his raw Fender P tone to his harmonic and rhythmic genius – is up front in the mix. Dig Paul’s gritty string-bending intro to “Shiftless Shuffle” – http://bit.ly/2EqriJH - it does not get much funkier than this!